The Wild Runway Nail Art Ideas You'll Actually Want To Copy

A look back at the past few seasons in nail trends might lead you to predict that Fall 2018 would be one of the sleepiest yet, with nudes, nudes, and more sheer nudes painted on A-list models like Gigi Hadid and Slick Woods. But you’d be wrong: This season has done nothing but prove otherwise, with the kind of wild, unexpected nail designs we haven’t seen since Libertine’s fur-coated fingertips for Spring 2017.

All those plain trends of the past might have left us with manicures more boring than Fifty Shades of Freed without the sex scenes (okay, maybe not quite that bad), but this year, New York’s finest nail artists have resuscitated our design-loving souls with nail art so good, it deserves its own MoMA exhibit.

Color, texture, and major lengths abound: Jeremy Scott, Libertine, and Chromat have taken our manicure dreams to an entirely different planet… and we hope we never come back. Click ahead to check out the floor-grazing fringe and Tonya Harding-inspired tips you’ll want to copy all year long.

While we love ourselves a Deborah Lippmann nude, these multi-colored, glittery fingertips are a new favorite. The only polish used? Hotline Bling, a new sheer-white polish launching in 2018, and loads of glitter to create the gradient ombré effect.

Photo: Kelly Taub/WWD/REX/Shutterstock.

Jeremy Scott

According to Miss Pop for Essie, the artist behind this teardrop look, these intricate designs can be done by hand at home — no, really. It’s simple: Instead of dragging your polish brush from your cuticle straight to your fingertip, use the top of the bristles to wiggle the pigment onto the nail. Once you get into the groove, you’ll have the same techno animal print mani as Jourdan Dunn and Jasmine Tookes in no time.

Photo: WWD/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK.

Gypsy Sport

If you’re looking to make a subtle statement with your nail art, look to Gypsy Sport and Rio Uribe’s inspiration behind the mismatched look. “I usually work with a colorful palette, but New York was the inspiration this season and that called for black and white,” Uribe told Vogue after the show. “We’re in a polarizing moment where everything is black or white, or even black versus white. I want us to break out of that narrative.”

According to CND style director Jan Arnold, this nail design was meant to look just like your favorite cable-knit sweater, right down to the touchable texture.

Photo: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK.

Adam Selman

This one might be totally devoid of funky texture, but it does make a case for looooong nails. This look isn’t meant to translate to everyday wear, but if Tonya Harding can pull it off, we think we can, too.

Photo: WWD/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK.

Bibhu Mohapatra

Who says polish can only work on your actual nail? In addition to a clean manicure, spice up your style with a solid dot right below your cuticle. Miss Pop used Zoya’s Tawny and Aspen to achieve the look.

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